Chevrolet offers a hint of the 2013 Malibu.

General Motors will roll its next-generation Chevrolet Malibu into dealer showrooms four months earlier than previously planned – part of a full-court press to speed up the company’s product development program.

Production of the new midsize model, which will be sold as a 2013 model, is set to begin in January 2012, rather than May, as originally scheduled, according to an internal GM document quoted by the Detroit News.

The move to speed up product development has been spearheaded by GM CEO Dan Akerson who, earlier this year, warned that the company could be left short of new models due to the delays created by its 2009 bankruptcy.

The U.S., Akerson warned, was going to be particularly hard hit.  Product development programs for emerging markets, notably including China, had felt less of an impact from the maker’s run through Chapter 11.

But the CEO has been “challenging us to move faster,” said spokesman Dave Darovitz, and the acceleration of the Malibu project is one example.

It’s also a critical one.  The current version of the midsize sedan was named North American Car of the Year in 2008.  But despite winning numerous kudos, sales continue to lag behind import leaders like the Toyota Camry and Honda Accord.  In the hotly competitive segment Malibu is due for a significant upgrade.

Chevy recently provided this teaser shot of the next-generation sedan.  The next model is due to be unveiled at the Shanghai Motor Show, later this month, with its U.S. preview to follow at the New York Auto Show.

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